Archive for September, 2010

Recently we covered:
1.) “WRATH” which you can see HERE.
2.) “GLUTTONY” which you can see HERE.
3.) “VANITY” which you can see HERE.

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GREED

GREED (Latin, avaritia), also known as avarice or covetousness, is a sin of excessive desire to possess more wealth or goods than one needs or deserves.

From a Christian perspective, the Bible provides us with a rich definition of this sin. The core of greed is that it is the obsession with accumulating material goods. A greedy person values material goods more than they value God. Greed and slothfulness have similarities in definition. The greedy and slothful both crave material goods as well as they have no desire to work for or to exchange anything of value for the object of their desires. The slothful will not work even for basic necessities much less add value to the world around them. The greedy will use deception to acquire material goods. The greedy also lie and use false pretenses to acquire goods at the expense of others.

A key aspect of greed is that greed is never satisfied no matter how much material goods are accumulated by a person. The Bible says we are but “greedy dogs” who are obsessed with material things. Greed has no purpose because it can never be satisfied.

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ARTIST STATEMENT:

We feel pretty confident this one is self-explanatory. Interpret this as you may- we assume most will picture their bedroom Scarface poster. Wamp wamp wamp….

NOTE: If you are not the philistine (look it up) we assume, you are welcome to also consider this piece our T$F homage to Swedish-born sculptor Claes Oldenburg.

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PROCESS:

This piece of our series was DOPE. We sat on this particular idea for sometime. We came out to Atlanta and busted this piece out with speed and grace. We were excited to present something that could hang on the wall- but double as a relief with major 3D elements. The challenge was mostly in logistics, seeing as our concept was locked.

Again with NO budget assistance from the conference organizers, we purchased all the needed materials locally from our own pockets. We had this thing all plotted out in our heads. We hit up the hardware store to get some brackets, pvc pipe, spray paint, 12″ mirrored tiles, some foam insulation and a grip of liquid nails. Fortunately we had access to a gang of power tools as well.

We mounted the mirrored tiles and then began adding our “STAY GREEDY” typography. We relished at the attention to detail, modeling the paraphernalia around the red-pinstriped straws famously found at McDonald’s.

After making a base for the type relief, we added the appropriate special effects to create a more authentic aesthetic.

Then on to cutting our stencil for proper T$F signage.

The $tatus Faction was so eager to get this piece up for Living Walls, we could barely wait for the glue to dry. When it was ready to transport- we charged the gallery for installation. We wanted to have SOMETHING in the gallery space immediately and this three-dimensional artwork went up practically upon our Georgia arrival. It was a very successful start to the series and acted as a nice introduction and foreshadowing for what was to come that week.

We found some studs in the gallery wall, which was mandatory as this piece was fairly heavy.

We got the jumbo mirror mounted- all that was left was to attach the straw.

IN AND OUT OF THERE. LET IT SHINE UP THERE UNTIL THE PARTY.

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RECEPTION:

As we’ve discussed earlier- the show was crowded as hell. This particular element of our series was located in a hallway adjacent to the formal gallery. It was mainly a space for featured artists to paint and the site for (non-attending artist submission) posters to hang in a wheat pasted combo.

It’s our goal to stand out in the crowds. We feel our interpretation of GREED was an artistic success for The $tatus Faction. It ultimately stood alone in this tunnel of sensory-overload. Although we appreciate a “monster-combo of street art” as much as the next guy- we basked in refreshment by this artworks’ unpredictable third-dimension.

Recently we covered:
1.) “WRATH” which you can see HERE.
2.) “GLUTTONY” which you can see HERE.

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VANITY

In conventional parlance, VANITY is the excessive belief in one’s own abilities or attractiveness to others. Prior to the 14th century it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant futility. In many religions vanity, in its modern sense, is considered a form of self-idolatry, in which one rejects God for the sake of one’s own image, and thereby becomes divorced from the graces of God. In Christian teachings vanity is considered an example of pride, one of the seven deadly sins. This list evolved from an earlier list of eight sins, which included vainglory as a sin independent of pride.

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ARTIST STATEMENT:

Inspired from an expression we’ve spoken time and time again, the concept for our “VANITY MIRROR” sculpture came naturally. “GET OVER YOURSELF.“ When you hear that- you got a problem with your pride buddy!

This piece of our series was especially pleasing, because we could venture into audience interaction and involvement. Take a look in the mirror. The viewer literally becomes a part of this gallery wall, and is now in visual participation with the artwork’s dialogue. It’s pretty funny. On the inside T$F felt like we got a chance to tell a whole shitload of people to personally “Get Over Yourself.”ZIIIIING!

PHOTO BY: RYAN JAMES

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PROCESS:

Having the “Vanity Mirror” concept locked and loaded in Los Angeles, assembling this on-site (in Atlanta) wasn’t too difficult. HOWEVER— No Thanks to the lack of financial support from the conference organizers like T$F explained HERE. We purchased a house “mirror with sconces” from some lady on craigslist. She seemed well weirded out when the T$F crew came inside her house. The design, shape, and size was perfect but the condition and finish was way too crispy and polished. First we applied a liquid iron surfacer to the frame. When it dried we used a mixer to force the activation of rust. It looked legit. Appeared to be rescued from a sunken ship! The sconce shades were naturally treated with the mud from SLAB TOWN.

While the frame was drying from the reaction, we began to apply our quote to the glass of the mirror. Using a highly caustic substance to “frost” glass, we chemically etched the letters into the front. It only takes minutes for the chemical to fully react- so basically you only get one chance to get it correct. This stuff is super permanent. It literally disintegrates the top layer of glass leaving a translucent effect. It’s most often used in arts and crafts to stencil small decorations. We applied the glass etching cream FREE HAND using a paintbrush. It took several hours of tedious craftsmanship.

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RECEPTION:

The reception was crowded and it was funny to see peoples interest in this piece. It was on a corner spot, so tricky to avoid. We assume many people checked their hair and teeth in that mirror— oh the irony! It was difficult to get a decent photo of this piece, it usually included the photographer in the picture, or the flash would reflect in the mirror. Here’s a few pics we probably jacked from the web. Shout out to The Fashion Cult for spotlighting this piece, seen HERE. The two best photos we credit to Ryan James, whose flickr can be found HERE.Thanks guy!

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these sticker combos are all across the USA, Canada , and may a quick trip to TJ. They are all backstage I think, in the u know,, big kids room… check out the DRI tag from RI above, sturgis all pushing up on it hahahahaha!!!

GLUTTONY

GLUTTONY— derived from the Latin gluttire meaning to gulp down or swallow, means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or intoxicants to the point of waste. In some Christian denominations, it is considered one of the seven deadly sins—a misplaced desire of food or its withholding from the needy.

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The back story about our work for the T$F “gluttony” interpretation is interesting. We have displayed our “Monster Fridge” several times to the public- but it’s always been a gateway into the “7 Deadly $ins” series. This is not a NEW sculpture for our collective, however it’s not “recycled” concept either. The original piece, created for The Atlanta Bench’s“Screen Fiends” exhibit in 2009, was ALWAYS thought of as a PART to this greater idea. To produce ALL SEVEN of the sins, with original T$F interpretation, was a concept we cherished. The fridge was KEY to the big picture.

We knew, if done correctly, it was an epic and complex project that required massive logistics and funding. It would span over several mediums and environmental platforms. We waited over a year, and when the proper opportunity to execute T$F’s “7 Deadly $ins” came to fruition- we had a fraction of the puzzle solved.

Aiming to create seven pieces on-site, “Gluttony” was ONE element we could relax with, and thus fund additional time to allocate for the other 6 pieces. Although it appears like sweet headway in August 2010, it was tough patiently waiting to actualize the COMPLETE concept since it’s inception (2009).

“Monster Fridge” will always hold a special place in our heart. We are proud of the construction, the craft, the humor AND the final result. The sculpture has always received excellent response, and deserves to be shared with a broad audience. Here are a few pics of it’s various appearances throughout Atlanta AND Los Angeles.

For more info, pics, and insight on the “Monster Fridge” – you can view these previous blog entries: